Law professor Gordana Siljanovska, who is a strong critic of the Prespa deal, said she will think about the idea of running for President after 30 professors put her name forward.

My mind is telling me that I shouldn’t do it, but the moment, the emotions, the quality of the names who asked me to do it, are telling me to consider it, Siljanovska told PressingTV on Monday, after the letter calling on her to run was published.

She received the support of both left and right leaning professors such as Katica Kulavkova, Nade Proeva, Karolina Ristova Asterud, Zidas Daskalovski and many others. The President is supposed to be a non-partisan official after the elections, but historically winning candidates would always receive the support of a political party. So far it is not clear whether Siljanovska would seek the opposition nomination through VMRO-DPMNE, or go to some party party. She was critical of VMRO-DPMNE in 2015, and helped start protests against the party, but her recent heavy criticism of the Prespa Agreement, which she detailed in a book sized article, make her look more like an opposition candidate.

Vladimir Gjorcev, the young but long serving VMRO-DPMNE member of Parliament and conservative activist, is the only candidate publicly seeking the opposition nomination so far. SDSM and DUI are still in talks over nominating a joint candidate, and deliberating whether to accept VMRO’s challenge to hold early general elections at the same time as well.

These are the most difficult days in our more recent national and political history and Macedonia urgently needs a joint opposition bloc which will unite all citizens and intelectuals. Given the situation we are in, we expect to have a multi-generational task ahead of us, but the first challenge before us are the presidential elections, as the President of the Republic is the last, or rather first, defender of our constitutional values, the open letter in support of Siljanovska declares.

The 30 professors call on VMRO-DPMNE to take her nomination under consideration, and she herself, acknowledges that she said she will not go into politics again, after serving as minister in the first SDSM led Government in 1992.

Given the specific moment and and the situation Macedonia is in now, 75 years after ASNOM, and facing what President Kiro Gligorov once said – that Macedonia is all we have – prompts me to reconsider my decision to give up politics. These are the most difficult moments for me as a professor and as a person, said Siljanovska.

A candidate for President needs to receive the support of at least 30 members of Parliament, or at least 10.000 citizens.